SLICER ELEMENTS FOR FILTERING TABULAR DATA

• US 20130111320A1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, Johnny Sterling, Monroe, Jenefer, Tupaj, Konrad, Grewal, Amarinder Singh, Hawking, Robert George, Folting, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Slicers are configured to filter tabular data arranged in columns. A user may use the slicers to filter tabular data from a client application and/or a server based application/service. Slicers may be created for one or more columns and for all/portion of the tabular data within a column. Selection of a slicer element filters the associated tabular data and updates a display of the other slicers. Interaction with the slicers may also update other user interface controls that filter the tabular data (e.g. selecting a slicer element changes a value of a filtering setting in a drop down menu and/or selecting the filtering setting in the drop down menu changes a state of a slicer element). A slicer element may be associated with other objects in the spreadsheet and/or included within one or more functions of a spreadsheet.

Claims

1. A method for using a slicer user interface element to filter tabular data, comprising:

determining a slicer to display that is associated with tabular data;

displaying slicer elements for the slicer that are associated with unique values in the tabular data;

receiving a selection of a slicer element;

updating a display based on the selection; and

updating a display of the slicer elements in response to the selection of the slicer element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of tabular data that comprises one or more columns and for each selected column creating a slicer and creating slicer elements for each of the unique values in each of the selected columns.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the slicer elements comprises displaying each slicer and associated slicer elements separately from one another.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the slicer element occurs at a client computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically updating a display of the slicer elements in response to at least one of:

a change to the tabular data and a change to another filtering control.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the slicer as an object within the spreadsheet that is referenced by a user-defined function.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the tabular data in response to the selection of the slicer element, wherein the filtering is configurable to filter at least one of:

hidden tabular data within a spreadsheet;

non-hidden data within the spreadsheet; and

a query associated with the filter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the display of the slicer elements in response to the selection of the slicer element comprises at least one of:

hiding a display of another displayed slicer element and changing a display characteristic of another displayed slicer element.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising turning off filtering that is performed in response to the slicer elements being selected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of a slicer element comprises receiving a touch input and determining when the touch input slides an end of the slicer element a predetermined distance.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for using a slicer user interface element to filter tabular data, comprising:

determining slicers to display that are each associated with different columns of tabular data;

displaying slicer elements for each of the slicers that are associated with unique values in each of the different columns of the tabular data;

receiving a selection of a slicer element;

filtering the tabular data based on the selection of the slicer element;

updating a display based on the selection; and

updating a display of the slicer elements in response to the selection of the slicer element such that slicer elements that are not associated with data re displayed differently from slicer elements that are associated with data relating to the selection.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein displaying the slicer elements comprises displaying each slicer and associated slicer elements separately from one another and determining when the updating of the display of the slicer elements is turned off.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising automatically updating a display of the slicer elements in response to at least one of:

a change to the tabular data and a change to another filtering control.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising defining the slicer as an object within the spreadsheet that is referenced by a user-defined function.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein filtering the tabular data comprises filtering at least one of:

hidden tabular data within a spreadsheet, non-hidden data within the spreadsheet and a query associated with the filter.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising turning off a filtering that is performed in response to the slicer elements being selected.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the selection of a slicer element comprises receiving a touch input and determining when the touch input slides an end of the slicer element a predetermined distance.

18. A system for using a slicer user interface element to filter tabular data, comprising:

a display;

a touch surface that is configured to receive touch input;

a processor and a computer-readable medium;

an operating environment stored on the computer-readable medium and executing on the processor; and

a process configured to perform actions, comprising;

determining slicers to display that are each associated with different columns of tabular data;

displaying slicer elements for each of the slicers that are associated with unique values in each of the different columns of the tabular data;

receiving a selection of slicer elements;

filtering the tabular data based on the selection of the slicer element;

updating a display based on the selection;

automatically updating a display of the slicer elements in response to the selection of the slicer element such that slicer elements that are selectable are displayed differently from slicer elements that are not selectable; and

automatically turning off the automatic updating of the display of the slicer elements when updating the display of the slicer elements exceeds a predetermined period of time.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising automatically updating a display of the slicer elements in response to at least one of:

a change to the tabular data and a change to another filtering control and wherein filtering the tabular data comprises filtering at least one of;

hidden tabular data within a spreadsheet;

non-hidden data within the spreadsheet and a query associated with the filter.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising determining when the slicer is referenced by a user-defined function within a cell of the spreadsheet.